


Cold rooms

by megz



Category: No. 6 (Anime & Manga), No. 6 - Asano Atsuko
Genre: Angst, Chronic Illness, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Reunion, Sick!Nezumi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-02
Updated: 2017-07-21
Packaged: 2018-09-14 07:33:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,404
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9168550
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/megz/pseuds/megz
Summary: Shion made a promise that he will wait for him, but what if Nezumi already gave up on himself? Won't he ever fulfill their vow?Multichapter story about Nezumi's life falling apart and Shion trying to help him build it up again piece by piece.





	1. Chapter 1

Raindrops were slowly making their way down the window- like sunlight sparkles, ignited by the last breath of a dying day. Warm mosaic was soon to be replaced by gloomy shades of the night sky that have already started to creep into illumination. 

A friangle figure, curled up in a blanket on the couch, had been observing as the droplets slided down the glass. He was enchanted with the way a subtle play of lights and shadows seemed to be trapped inside those water smudges- he didn't even notice that the room was growing darker and darker within minutes. Soon the only noticeable remains of human presence were small breaths escaping his mouth. Everything fell into pitch black darkness and empty silence, but he wasn't willing to escape them- he wanted to immerse into abyss of the night, hide from the world, from the thoughts he had to face. 

He _should_ face.

When he gave up on his ability to confront difficult matters, giving in to a torpor and lethargy became more of a habit than the temporary weakness...

A small squeak coming from his pocket gave him an excuse to get away from overwhelming feelings- emotions were getting to him way too successfully those days... with a time passing by. With the guilt growing and accumulating somewhere deep inside of him, deeper than he was able to reach without getting hurt.  
"What is it, little guy?" ignoring the numb pain in his chest, he gently took Macbeth out of his prison to caress the rat carefully. Just another excuse, just a little while away from guilt and hurt.  
It wasn't too much to ask for... was it?

***

Since when taking a shower became such an emotionally exhausting experience? His hands wandered aimlessly all over sticking out ribs and hip bones, sliding down this weak skin covered in scars, stains, burns- really interesting variety of defects, making him feel like throwing up every time he had to undress. Lacking hygiene often seemed like a better option than touching this pathetic body. Because it was pathetic, indeed... just like Nezumi was.

He got out of shower with a sick feeling in his stomach, only to see that the outflow had been plugged with handfuls of hair strands. Again.

Pathetic. 

Had the world always span like this? Or is he going to pass out for real this time and get his head smashed by bathroom sink, only to be found naked one month later after rent payment deadline? Owner wouldn't be happy with a state of his den. It used to look obscure and dirty when he first found it, but then layers of mess and disarray had been regularly multiplying with each wave of weakness, so... 

No, it wasn't the best way to say 'goodbye' to this world. He liked a bit of dramatizing, but playing rotting corpse wasn't his dream role either. 

He sat down on the cold floor, trying to catch a focus and balance. Once again, destructive thoughts found him in the worst moment and clung tightly, with no will to ever let go. 

Looks like he won't get to keep his promise after all. How could he, if he wasn't even able to do his groceries sometimes? How could he, when he was awful just to look at...  
What a difference would make coming back only to say goodbye...?  
A single tear fell down his cheek. 

Pathetic, pathetic, pathetic...

Anyway, it wasn't like Shion kept waiting all this time, he had to move on eventually- and he did for sure. He was one of the strongest people Nezumi had ever known. Stronger than a whole utopian goverment. Stronger than Nezumi himself... 

So maybe he didn't really want him back in his life?  
He won't ever find out, probably.  
But it was a lot of easier to believe that.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi Guys! I'm sorry for taking so long with this chapter... I hope my writing block finally died and I'll do much better next time (also, I'm planning a chapters much longer from now on, so get ready). Anyway, enjoy!  
> \------

Eating might seem to be pointless to a person that ends up giving each meal away to the toilet bowl anyway, but trying always made him feel like he was still fighting. Every time the food stayed inside his stomach- he was a winner, an emperor of a healthy lifestyle, with a hundred more years of the potential lifespan. This full of hope feeling was making an effort of cleaning up his puke worth it.

So here he was, creating an imitation of a nutritious dinner - with some cheap leftovers - to deceive his body into staying alive.

Sudden knocking on the entrance door made him squirm in panic and drop the knife he was holding instantly- a hollow rattle of utensil hitting the floor followed with the hasty heartbeat. The sound was slowly sinking into the thick atmosphere of the absolute horror the boy was feeling, as he perceived what the knocking actually meant.

He didn't own any friends fond of him enough to come and check on his life functions, so it had to be...

The rent.

He ought to pay it few weeks ago, and still his money were non existing. All he would be able to offer were some bread crumbs and vegetables peels, and he was too smart to believe that it might do. Playing the rotting corpse became somehow tempting with the knocking getting louder and louder...

He had to gather all his strength before he was able to step out of the safe space and open the door for his tenant. Gelbs was a really massive man, so porty and muscular that he would easily break Nezumi in two. Funny thing, he looked like he was ready to try it in the moment. A boy had been scared shitless every time he had to tell him that, once again, he failed to gain enough money, and every time his worries turned out to be legitimate. That anger, like a raging storm, wasn't something quickly forgotten.

Some bruises lasted for months.

Some burns made him unable to move around even more than his illness did.

Hair were even more loose after those visits.

But that day, even more damage had been done.

"Oh, you don't have any money left? So pity you're going to pay me anyway!"

Nezumi ended up pinned to the floor, struggling to escape the brutal grip. Screaming. Shrieking. Crying, though he didn't feel those burning years running down his cheeks.

He only felt the pain, no, he _was_ the pain itself. Torture filling him up to the very core.

Was it really his voice?

He never imagined the agony so intense.

Was it really his body, being torn apart with such bestiality?

A monster above him, separating his tights effortlessly. Breaking him into pieces. Useless fuckmeat.

"Now you're a real cheap whore, you fucker" he spitted on his face. With another push and wave of the pain, Nezumi's vision became blurry.

That's it? The end?

He felt overwhelming numbness, and then, he fell unconscious.

He wouldn't mind never gaining the consciousness again.

***

"You're overworking yourself again" a soft voice echoed somewhere behind him, accompanied by the sound of rushed steps. Shion just sighed and torn his eyes away from the screen. His head was greeted with a tender hair ruffling.

"Are you here to scold me for doing my job?" he asked facetiously, but his nonchalance was quickly replaced with a concern when he saw the serious expression his friend was wearing. He looked at her questioningly.

"Actually, not today. I do think that you should get some private life, but that's not the matter now..."

"Then, what's the matter?"

"God, I really hate to bring this topic up before your important conference" she breathed out heavily, taking a sit on the chair next to him. Shion could see the hesitation in her movements, so he tried to smile encouragingly. It didn't work out too well, but she spoke out anyway.

"You remember the hospital I'm working at, right?"

He nodded in affirmation. Mori was one of his closest friends these days- they were both sharing the struggles and joys (mostly struggles) of being the head director of the city's main hospital -exept, she was the leader of the No.3 Regional Hospital, while he had been assigned to the healthcare in the No.6 after the whole administration was rebuilt. They met at one of the medical conferences, both of them extremely nervous before giving their lectures to the whole gathering. They ended up comforting each other and getting along perfectly, so staying out of touch wasn't even an option...

Long story short, Mori became a really important person in his life- and, just like now, she was always hesitant about topics that might worry or hurt him.

One topic, particularly.

And rather a person, to be precise.

"As I said, I didn't want to disturb you before the meeting, but... this is kind of extreme situation? And that calls for the extreme solutions..."

"Could you just get to the point?"

"Right. So we have a patient in a critical state... He refuses to go on the treatment and the hospital is looking for his relatives, but it turns out he doesn't have any..."

"So what, do you think that we might be somehow connected? I told you, those hair aren't my natural-"

"Wait, that's not it" she cut him off. "When they called me, I thought right away that his description matches the boy you once told me about, what was his name... Nezumi?" Her voice anxious as she finished.

So was Shion. He stared at her in awe, eyes wide open. This just couldn't be happening.

But it was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading ♡


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for giving up on this story, I hope I can finish it piece by piece. It might take some time, but I'll try to update regularly from now on <3 Thanks for reading!

The world seemed to play with his anguished mind like some unsolvable- and particularly mean - riddle. The more he pushed himself towards grasping its solution, the less already discovered pieces seemed to fit. Soaking within feverish delusions. Drifting in the void.

The pain was still present, hidden near the surface- ready to engulf him as soon as he breaks this enigma. To crash him into the sound of his puzzles falling into their assigned places.

This restless being in the corner of his mind had been longing to capture and analyze weak glimpses of reality, but the darkness of the depth absorbed each shaky sun ray.

And he ran away.

From the muffled shriek of his conscience, pressing him to fulfill the promise to keep going. To come back.

Maybe some part of him had been already convinced that there was no coming back for him.

***

His eyelids fluttered hesitantly before shooting open-  sharp light blinded him for a moment, widened pupils unable to focus on the surrounding. Not like making sense out of it got any easier after regaining his sight- the wave of soreness and nausea that had hit him made the boy groan.

As soon as he had realized how he did end up in the hospital bed, he wished he’d never come to his senses.  

 

His last memory hit him like a punch sent straight in the stomach. Nezumi felt like puking his guts out.

The mass of sweat and flesh forcefully sprawled across his body.

Suppressed cries. Panting.

The warmth of blood running down his tights.

His trembling hands trying to hold onto something, anything.

Grasping his own skin. Digging holes in his palms.

And the pain, so horrible it made him faint.

 

And the reality, so horrible it made him wish to never regain consciousness.

“Sir, are you alright? You’ve been spacing out for a while now.”

The sudden presence of a woman that he expected to be a nurse made him twitch. Honestly, he probably would’ve jumped if not for the wires somehow connected with his chest and arms. He looked at her, clearly puzzled after being abruptly dragged out of his thoughts.

“Excuse me?”

He didn’t expect his voice to sound so hoarsely and crackly. For a second he wasn’t even sure if it’s been his mouth that this broken sound had escaped from.

“I came to check on you, since you woke up and came back to life. I have to ask you a few questions too, as you’ve been unconscious for some time. The hospital needs your personal data to continue the treatment. Also, I want to know if you are feeling well enough to go through some superficial examination.”

Processing nurse’s words took him, well, a moment. Or maybe a little bit longer, long enough to turn her expecting glare into impatient one, burning a hole in his forehead.

“How long I’ve been here?” he stuttered out, just as she opened her mouth to ask another prescribed question on his well-being.

“ Around two days, sir. Back to your personal data…”

“No, wait-“

The nurse reluctantly raised her eyes from the clipboard she’d been holding. He gulped, suddenly nervous under her stern gaze. Or, rather petrified.

“I can’t stay here. I need to go. Now. Could you possibly fill the release papers instead?”

Her lips formed a thin line.

 “We aren’t allowed to check out patients in such an unstable state. That would be illegal.”

 “But I’m perfectly fine-“

“It would be _illegal_ , sir. Back to completing your bio…”

She was smiling at him apologetically while speaking. Well, she would’ve smiled apologetically, if not the solid dose of poison hiding in her eyes. _Pissed off_ would be the most polite term to describe her state. Nezumi tried to sink into the scratchy pillow, way too big for his fragile figure. He wanted to pluck those damn wires out and break into a run, but his heavy limbs had refused.

“First! I need you to tell me your exact name and contact data to your closest relatives we can possibly reach, so they can pay for whatever your health insurance doesn’t cover.”

She’d been waiting again for his reaction, ready to write down the data. Funny thing, Nezumi didn’t own any information to gift her with.  

“ I already told you that I can’t stay here, I don’t have enough money to afford this!”

“In this case, your health insurance will surely be much of a help…“

“I _don’t have_ an insurance,  nor ever had one-”

A wheezy sound left his mouth as the wave of a sharp pain pierced his lower stomach.

He desperately tried to catch his breath, vision suddenly blurry and watery.

The nurse was already at the door, shouting for the help to come faster.

The last thing he saw before fainting was a quickly spreading redness staining the sheets.    


End file.
